Guard for speech receivers or transmitters.



PATENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

S. J. BALLARD. GUARD FOR SPEECH RECEIVERS 0R TRANSMITTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

TEL MAIN 4- on NSMn'H fnyenior 4 3 1 Q y/ Wimessw UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

SAMUEL J. BALLARD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO CALVIN W. BROWN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GUARD FOR SPEECH RECEIVERS OR TRANSMITTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,987, dated February10, 1903.

Application filed July 2, 1901. Serial No. 66.921. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL J UDSON BAL- LARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles. and Stateof California, have invented a new and useful Guard for Speech Receiversor Transmitters, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention comprises a holder for holding a plurality ofprotecting-sheets in proximity to the mouthpiece or earpiece of thesound transmitter or receiver. It includes the appliance and partsherein described and claimed. Preferably the sheets are perforated andpivoted on a pin and retained thereon by a suitable retainer, and meansare provided for pressing the leaves toward the retainer, said leavesbeing adapted to be moved one at a time in front of the mouthpiece orearpiece.

This invention is designed to provide a clean removable covering fortelephonemouth and ear pieces which can be changed at will by pullingofi one slip or sheet and turning into place over the aperture of theinstruwent a clean slip or sheet which has not theretofore been breathedupon or touched by a user of the instrument.

It is a well-known contention with physicians that contagion can bespread through the promiscuous use of the telephone by diseased people,besides which it is not pleasant to use a public telephone which mayhave just before been used and breathed,

smoked, or even coughed into or which may have been held against theperspiring ear by some person of doubtful cleanliness. For reasonsconducive to good health alone many would not consent to hold hands withan unknown person for the length of time of an Another object is toprovide a useful device by means of which advertisements may be madeacceptable to be placed and kept in constant view where they would nototherwise 5 5 be admitted.

Another object is to provide a convenient tablet on the mouthpiece onwhich may be written memoranda, such as telephone-numbers or names ofparties desiring to be called up by some particular person. Thismemoranda can be removed by tearing off the marked sheet withoutdisturbing the one in place over the aperture of the instrument,and themarked sheetmay be carried away for reference, thus furtherdisseminating the advertisement.

Another object is to provide a sanitary guard for telephones, earpieces,and mouthpieces which may be easily replenished by any ordinary printer.

Another object is to combine in such sanitary guard a businesscard ofthe telephone owner giving his telephone-number, so that the user of thetelephone will have in view the number of the telephone to which thedevice is applied. Such information being on a convenient card or slipwhich can be easily detached and carried away for reference also adds tothe value as an advertising medium.

A-further object of supplying a memorandum-space to be used by the userof the telephone is to prevent the mutilation or marking of walls by themaking of memoranda on the walls.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure I a perspective view of the invention with the protecting leaves,slips, or sheets and in use as an attachment to a tele- 9ophone-transmitter. Fig. II shows the device in use on atelephone-receiver. Fig. III is a perspective view of the device readyfor attachment to a transmitter or receiver. Fig. IV is a view of asheet-metal blank adapted 5 to be used in the manufacture of the holder.Fig. V is a side view showing the holder ready to receive the protectingsheets or slips. The sheet-retainer is shown detached. A cross-sectionof the pin is also shown. Fig. I00 V1 is a front view of one of theprotecting slips or sheets. Figs. VII and VIII are front views,respectively, on a reduced scale, of a frame formed in one piece and ablank for forming such frame. Fig. IX is atransverse sectional view, onan enlargedscale, of the pin portion of Fig. VII.

1 indicates a plurality of protecting slips or sheets of paper or anyother suitable material. Paper of any desired thickness may be used, asI have found by experiment that two sheets of thick blottingpaper willnot preventthe ready transmission and reception of sound through thetelephone. 2 indicates in a general way a holder for said sheets adaptedand arranged to hold said sheets or slips in position for beingrespectively and successively moved into position in front of theinstrument to which it is adjusted.

In practice the outside slip or sheet a or the one next thereto can beturned into position across the mouth of the instrument, as indicated inFigs. I andII.

3 indicates the transmitting or receiving appliance, to which the holderwill be attached by a clamp 4. The holder comprises a standard 5,connected with the clamp 4, and a leaf-supporter, as a guide 6, fastenedto the standard to guide the edges of the leaves or slips.

7 indicates a post or pin extending alongside the guide at a distancetherefrom to pass through perforations 8 in the protecting slips orsheets. The pin 7 is fastened to the support 5 and is furnished with twoopposite notches 9.

10 indicates a sheet or slip retainer to re tain the slips or sheets inplace on the pin 7. This retainer is preferably made of a thin strip ofmetal perforated with a hole 11 to pass over the pin 7 freely andfurnished with a slot 12 to embrace the neck formed between the notches9 in the pin. Resilient means are provided for pressing the leaves 1toward the retainer 10.

13 indicates a spring for this purpose. The

free end of the spring is preferably expanded,

as shown, and acts as a back or support to bear the pressure upon theleaves when they are being written upon.

The clamp 4, standard 5, and guide 6 are preferably all formed of asingle piece of bent sheet metal. 14 in a general way indicates a blankfrom which said parts Will be pressed into shape.

15indicatesa clamp bolt and nut for clamping the frame on the earpieceor mouthpiece.

In practical use the appliance will be fastened to the telephone orother mouthpiece or earpiece, and a bunch of slips perforated with ahole 8 will be placed on the guides 6 and over the pin 7 and will besecured by a suitable retainer, such as that shown at 10, the spring 13being compressed to admit of the insertion of the sheets between thestandard 5 and the retainer 10. The pressure of the spring 13 constantlyholds the sheets forward in position against the retainer, and the userwhenever he desires may turn a sheet to bring it past the ends of theguide 6, which for this purpose terminate rearward of the notchformedseat 9 in the pin. When the sheet is turned into position across theopening of the receiver ortransmitter, the appliance is ready for use.It is to be understood that the slips a may be wholly or partially givenover to advertising or advertisements may be emitted, at the pleasure ofthe user, without departing from the broad spirit of my invention. Whenthe user desires to provide a new surface, he will tear off the old slipand turn a new slip into place.

The retainer 10 is preferably expanded and extends in two directionsfrom the hole which receives the pin 7, and one arm of it serves to holdthe sheet or slip against the mouthpiece or earpiece, as the case maybe, and the other arm holds the sheets or slips against the pressure ofthe spring 13.

16 indicates a cross-bar formed of the sheet from which the members 4 45 and 6 6 are bent.

17 18 indicate holes in the standard 5 for fastening the pin 7 andspring 13, respectively, to said standard.

Figs. I to IV show the pin riveted in the hole 17 and the spring 13inserted in hole 18 and soldered fast.

In bending the frame comprising the crossbar 16, clamp members 4,standard 5, and guide members 6 the clamp members 4 will first be bentforward at the dotted lines or and then at the dotted lines y. Themembers 6 will be bent forward at the dotted lines z, thus leaving thebar 16 and the standard 5 at one edge of the bar in one common plane,the guide-arms 6 projecting forward lengthwise from the bar at the edgethereof from which the standard projects and the clamp-arms 4 projectingedgewise from the bar opposite the guide-arms.

In the form shown in Figs. VII and VIII the tongue 51, which is providedwith notches 91 to form the retainer-seat, will be bent at the cuts 10and will then be bent downward into tubular form to form the pin 71.(Shown in Fig. VII.) The tube thus formed may be fastened at w bysolder. In this form the standard corresponding to the standard 5 inFig. IV is formed in two members 53, respectively, on the opposite sidesof the member 71, which forms the pin.

The designating-number of the telephone to which the device is appliedmay be stamped on or otherwise applied to the face of the retainer, thusto inform the user of the telephone as to the number thereof.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. A leaf-holder for speech receivers and transmitters comprising abase, a leaf -supporter projecting rigidly therefrom, and means forengaging with one edge of it and retaining the leaf in or out ofposition.

2. A leaf-holder for speech receivers and transmitters comprising abase, a leaf-supporter projectingrigidly therefrom; ahd detachable meansfor engaging with one edge of it and retaining the leaf in or out ofposition.

3. A leaf-holder r speech receivers and transmitters comprising a base,a leaf -supporter provided with a retainer at its outer end, and a guidefor holding the leaf out of position, said guide being of a less lengththan the supporter, and means for forcing the leaves forward, wherebythe outer leaf may be moved in its own plane between the end of theguide and the retainer into its operative position.

4. A leaf-holder for speech receivers and transmitters comprising abase, a leaf-supporter projecting therefrom, provided with a retainer atits outer end, a guide below the supporter for holding the leaf out ofposition, the outer edges of said guide lying in vertical planes uponopposite sides of the center of the supporter and the end terminating tothe rear of the retainer, and means for forcing the leaves forward,whereby the outer leaf may be swung in its own plane between the guideand the retainer into position for use. i

5. A leaf-holder for speech receivers an transmitters comprising a base,a leaf-supporter projecting therefrom, a bifurcated guide below thesupporter, and extending upon opposite sides thereof, a retainer on theouter end of the support-er at a short distance beyond the end of theguide and extending above and below the same for supporting the leaf inor out of position, and means for forcing the leaves upon the guideforward.

6. A leaf-holder for speech receivers and transmitters comprising abase, a leaf-supporter projecting therefrom, the outer end of which isslotted, a perforated retainer provided with a contracted slot forengaging with the slotted portion of the supporter, a guide below theleaf-supporter, the forward end of which terminates at a short distancefromthe retainer, and means for forcing the leaves upon the guideforward.

7. A leaf-holder for speech receivers and transmitters, comprising abase, a leaf-supporter projecting therefrom provided at its outer endwith a retainer, a guide below the supporter, the outer end of whichterminates a short distance from the retainer, and a spring for forcingthe leaves. on the supporter forward.

8. A leaf-holder for speech receivers and transmitters comprising a baseprovided with clamping-arms for holding it in position, a leaf-supporterprojecting from the base, the outer end of which is provided with aretainer, a leaf-guide below the supporter, the outer end of whichterminates at a distance to the rear of the retainer, and a springsecured to the base at one end for forcing the leaves on the guideforward.

9. A leaf-holder forspeech receivers and transmitters comprising a thinfiat base pro jvided with spring clamping-arms and a twopartflatleaf-guide, the arms andz-the guide lying in planes at right anglesto each other.

and to the base, means for'iholding the free ends of the arms inposition,aleaf-supporter above the guide, the outer end of which isprovided with a retainer at a short distance in front of the guide, anda spring: for forcing the leaves on the guide forward.

10. The combination, withaspeech receiving and transmitting appliance,of a leafholder secured thereto, said holder being provided with a pin,a retainer on the outer end of the pin, a leaf-guide between the pin andthe appliance, the end of which is at a short distance from the retainerand substantially in a line with the end of the instrument, said holderbeing adapted to hold a series of leaves in such position that theforward leaf can be moved in its own plane into position in front of theappliance, and means for automatically moving the leaves toward theretainer, whereby the end one may be moved into position for use.

11. A protector for speech appliances consisting of a sheet of fibrousmaterial, and means connected with said appliance for normally holdingsaid sheet out of use, said sheet being so held that it may be movedinto position for use without being removed from said retaining means.

12. A protector for speech appliances consisting of a series of sheetsof material and means connected with said appliance for normally holdingsaid sheets out of use, the forward sheet of said series being so heldthat IIO extending parallel with the pin; a retainer on the pin beyondthe .end of the guide; and

means for pressing the leaves toward the re tainer.

15. The combination of theholder-frame furnished with a clamp and with aprojecting pin; a retainer on said pin; and means for pressing leavestoward the retainer.

16. The frame for a leaf-holder, composed of bent sheet metal formed ina bar, astandard on one edge of the bar, two guide-arms projectinglengthwise from the bar, and two clamp-arms projecting edgewise from thebar.

. 17. A frame for a leaf-holder composed of bent sheet metal formed in abar, a standard on one edge of the bar, two guide-arms projectinglengthwise from the ,bar, two clamp arms projecting edgewise from thebar, and a name to this specification, in the presence of twosubseribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, IO California, this 27th day ofJune, 1901.

S. J. BALLARI).

Witnesses: I

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, JULIA TOWNSEND.

